Review by Daniel Mansfield

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In a last-ditch move to evade the Time Lords, the Second Doctor and friends arrive on an alternate Earth where the First Doctor and Susan never arrived in 1963, and find themselves stranded. After two boxsets of almost impenetrable Dalek shenanigans, The Haunted Windmill takes the Second Doctor Adventures in a simpler direction, asking what if the Doctor was exiled to Earth early?

This is the first Second Doctor Adventures boxset in a while that really plays with the idea of a splinter version of the Second Doctor, who is liberated from the continuity of his era. With Jamie and Zoe AWOL, Emma Noakes‘ Raven steps up as the Doctor’s main companion, getting some great material as the usually haughty and in-control Time Lord finds herself out of her depth.

Meanwhile, Olivia Woolhouse and Ilan Galkoff debut as Bertie and Lucius, curious schoolchildren who become embroiled in the Doctor and Raven’s adventurous lifestyle, and Jon Culshaw gives a new take on Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, a meddlesome Detective Inspector in this new universe. Rounding off the ensemble are Second Doctor stalwarts Frazer Hines and Wendy Padbury, flexing their acting chops in the new roles of Colonel Hugh McCrimmon and schoolteacher Miss Heriot.

The stories are all pretty traditional, moving from the slightly spooky titular episode, to a Pertwee-esque adventure with the Krotons in The Crystal Ship and a sequel to The Evil of the Daleks in The Hungry Glass. While none of them will blow your socks off, there’s a gloriously cosy feel to these stories, with some unexpected moments that turn familiar Who concepts and characters on their head.

An Unearthly Child meets the Third Doctor era meets Stranded, all mixed in with a healthy dose of Second Doctor goodness, The Haunted Windmill is an enjoyable if unchallenging listen with a lot of promise for future adventures.

The Haunted Windmill is available on CD or as a download from http://www.bigfinish.com